O RLY?, says the Internet meme owl. YES RLY. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cutler racks up decent yardage, but Cutler is at his worst when he’s getting hit and hurried — and the Cowboys D-line shouldn’t have any trouble getting through the Bears blockers. Be very careful if your league penalizes turnovers heavily as I wouldn’t be surprised to see 3+ picks/fumbles from Cutler.

Tom Brady @ NYJ

Brady is the polar opposite of Cutler — I foresee depressed yardage but I wouldn’t be too worried about his TD/INT numbers. Revis is a concern, but possibly as important is the loss of Kris Jenkins. If the Patriots feel like they can run on the Jets, there may not be much opportunity for Brady to accumulate his typical numbers.

Start

Michael Vick @ DET

I’m not quite as high on Vick as some folks — his passing was still pretty inconsistent, and while he did run well, it was more along the lines of “Oh, look, that QB is a good runner”, not the old Vick who looked like he could have started at RB for any team in the league. That said, this is Detroit, it’d be surprising if Vick didn’t put up at least respectable starter numbers this week.

Joe Flacco @ CIN

Don’t let the 1st game difficulties dissuade you from using Flacco this week. The Bengals have their own shutdown corner, but Leon Hall’s shutdown isn’t the same as Darrelle Revis’s shutdown. I expect Flacco to bounce back with 200+ yards and a couple TD’s.

RB

Sit

Ronnie Brown @ MIN

Pierre Thomas had some success against MIN, but a lot of those yards came late in the game, and I don’t think the Vikings will be quite as scared of Henne as they were Brees. I’d consider Brown a RB2 or lower this week.

Tim Hightower @ ATL

Beanie Wells is likely to return this week, and even if he’s not 100%, Hightower’s lackluster performance in Week 1 against a weak STL defense doesn’t bode well for role in the offense. He got his TD last week, but I wouldn’t count on it again.

Start

Ahmad Bradshaw @ IND

We’ve seen what the Indy run defense looks like without Bob Sanders. You’ll be disappointed if you expect Arian Foster’s Week 1 numbers, but I’d look for 125+ yards and at least 1 touchdown. I’d even consider throwing Brandon Jacobs in there as a borderline RB2/Flex play. The Giants will want to keep the ball out of Peyton’s hands, and slow down the Colts’ pass-rushers, and that means a lot of running.

Cadillac Williams @ CAR

I’m not a huge Caddy fan, but he’s got his moments. Specifically, his moment is facing a bad run defense early in the season before injuries take their toll. Start him this week, enjoy the line, and then shop him around.

Wide Receiver

Sit

Calvin Johnson vs. PHI

Too talented to bench outright in most leagues, but the loss of Stafford does hurt. Megatron has demonstrated that he can put up respectable numbers with almost any at QB, but it’s certainly a downgrade, and a disappointment after finally thinking that we’d get a full season of CJ with a competent passer looking his way.

Donald Driver vs. BUF

Driver salvaged his first week with a TD, but he’s looking like a clear #3 behind Jennings and Finley, and with what should be an easy day against the Bills, he may not get enough looks to make him a worthwhile play.

Start

Malcolm Floyd vs. JAX

Naanee’s performance overshadowed Floyd, but don’t overlook the fact that Naanee benefited from a defensive breakdown, and Floyd was targeted 12 times. While he isn’t likely to suddenly become a very efficient WR, it’d be extremely unlikely for him to only convert 25% of the balls thrown his way. This is the second week in a row I’ve put Floyd in the Start section, so I’m doubling down and hoping to cash in.

Desean Jackson @ DET

Don’t let Vick’s presence scare you off Jackson. Vick isn’t the best downfield thrower, but then Jackson’s big plays often come on shorter routes with lots of yards after the catch, and if the Eagles can get the ball to him, he can abuse the Lions secondary.

Tight End

Sit

Todd Heap @ CIN

I still like Heap’s ability and role in the offense, but rather a caution that Heap didn’t practice on Wednesday and expressed doubt that he’d be ready for Week 2. I wouldn’t rely on him even if he plays — go ahead and find your replacement.

Start

Chris Cooley vs. HOU

See what I did? Fantasy football is risk management. 2 TE’s were coming back from serious injuries, and I had them both as Sits last week. Owen Daniels didn’t look ready to resume his role in the pass offense, but Cooley shed any lingering doubts. Play him with confidence.

Defense

Sit

Jets vs. NE

See, this is why I never draft a defense early. If you have the Jets defense, you undoubtedly took them several rounds before the end of the draft. Now you feel compelled to hold on to them. And now you have to decide if you can risk starting them against what looks to be an explosive Pats offense. If you decide you can’t, then you’ve got to drop them (and risk losing them to another team) or drop another player from your bench to make room for a second defense.

Start

Titans vs. PIT

And conversely, this is why I love streaming defenses. I played Miami in Week 1 against Buffalo, and then had no qualms about dropping them for the Titans who are facing a Dennis Dixon-led Steelers team that was somewhat less than an offensive juggernaut last week.

Someone in my league already gave up on Beanie Wells, their 5th round pick. I have the #1 waiver priority and passed on Brandon Jackson (finally seems like a smart decision). Is this a no brainer add? My other RBs are Benson, Foster, J-Stew, Felix Jones and Harrison (who I’d drop for Wells).

On one hand, BJax is the definite starter. 100% on a good offensive team.

I’m not exactly Wells’ biographer but I know he is injury prone (knee, ankle). He is most certainly still a question mark for Sunday. On top of that he’s just not really a consistent back.

Personally? I’d grab BJax who has, IMO, way more upside than Wells. I’d grab BJax and Hightower if he’s available or wait for someone to drop Hightower if Wells comes back this week or next. I really think Wells will get hurt again this year.

@Giacomo: It’s not a bad option, especially with Delhomme in fine late-season form. I’m just not sure if KC is really actually a decent defense or not, and it’d suck to risk it and then have Jerome Harrison roll out one of his 35 carry, 200 yard games.

@Pepe Silvia: Heh, I actually did Miami->Tennessee in 2 different leagues. Just worked perfectly like that. It’s a rare week that I can’t find a waiver wire defense I like enough to play. I’d go Flacco — the risk that Vick is ineffective when the other team is ready for him is too great when you have someone like Flacco.

@TheEvilEmpire: I like your roster more than the waiver guys for the most part…I’d definitely find the guy that needs a TE in your league and try to package either Cooley or Winslow with another piece for something in return (ie, TE + WR2 for a WR1, etc).

@Howie Met Your Mother: I’d rather have Beanie than Harrison, but I’m curious how shallow this league is if Beanie is getting dropped and you’d be okay dropping Harrison. Nobody else you could drop? IE, your last WR? I’d try to get Beanie and then see if you can trade from your RB depth to a RB-starved team.

@MJD Took A Knee: Quantity vs. quality. Should be pretty close, though if I had to guess which extreme outcome was more likely, I’d say there’s a better chance Cutler implodes against DAL and Brady picks away at the Jets secondary than the other way around. Good luck.

@dingo: I like Dixon as a runner (and we all know Gore is an injury risk), but the team has spoken openly about his problems blocking…I think at best he’d be a time share with Westbrook. Gerhart and Kuhn…meh. Kuhn’s valuable in TD heavy leagues. I like stashing guys that have a clearer opportunity to take a (mostly) primary role if the top guy goes out, like Ringer or Brandon Jackson was heading into the season.

I’m using Zach Miller as my TE. Although two roster spots for mediocre tight ends is probably excessive, do you think that Jermaine Gresham is a worthy add? (I was able to open up a roster spot anyway by moving Sidney Rice to injured)

@Deeeeeez Nuts: It’s okay, but I’d say that if you do pick up Gresham, you need to decide within another week or two which one is your TE and trade/drop the other. Carrying 2 mid-to-low level TE’s is just a recipe for second-guessing yourself every week. If it were me, I’d stick with Miller.

My league has a 20-move limit, so I went from Miami’s D to New England’s instead of Tennessee’s. I figure they have no bad matchups from week 2-4, then I’ll drop them for someone else for a 2-5 week stretch.

It doesn’t hurt that they looked great on offense (and as the Saints showed last year, putting other teams in a position where they have to play catchup ends in a lot of turnovers and TDs) and that they get they HORRIBLE Jets offense this week.

Thanks,mark! I have a follow-up to my AP and TO for Foster and Austin trade Q. I have another possibility, of also trading Nicks and best for megatron and Bjax. so, if I did both trades, i’d have RBs: AP, Bradshaw, BJax and barber, WRS: Megatron, TO, Knox and Nanee. i also just picked up VJax off the wire, as it appears he’s settling and could be avaialable to the Vikes in week 5 or 6. My Te is Finley, QB is Rodgers. would the upgrade from Nicks to megatron at WR1 change whether you’d do the deal(s) or not?

@Commish Cauda: Yeah, I think it’s okay. I would Dez before Garcon (Dez isn’t as safe), but I do think their value could be very close by season’s end (and Dez might even have surpassed him).

@Joel: Hmmm…it’s just a high risk, high reward situation. I’d rather hold with known quantities in Austin and Nicks. Megatron and TO are much bigger risks that I’m not sure are worth the upgrade to Peterson and/or B-Jax.

@Josh: I’d think about sitting PT. The 49ers got drubbed last week, but 2 of the 3 Seahawks RB’s were held under 3 yards a carry (Forsett had 7 carries for 43 yards, 6.1 ypc average, but of that 43, 32 was gained on a single run).

I’m still worried that the downgrade at TE and WR might not be worth the upgrade at RB, but am I foolish to pass up a chance at a top RB? If I do this trade, which of the possible players should I choose to receive/give-up?

In regards to my Beanie Wells decision, I have no idea why he was already dropped aside from the person just being an idiot or 12 years old (or both I suppose). It’s just the extra league I’m in, a 10 team standard Yahoo public league. I have my 12 teamer with my friends and this is just for fun.

I could probably hang on to Harrison and drop Santonio Holmes instead.

In a small 8 Team League, and the guy with Mendenhall, Turner and Foster said that one was available, and I asked about Turner. He responded by saying it would take Wayne or Rowdy Roddy to get the job done. We’re in a 0.5 PPR league with bonuses for specific yardage totals (to help out with those guys with huge yardage games but don’t find paydirt). This is my lineup at present:

We play 3 WRs, 2 RBs, 1 TE and a flex WR/RB. Would it be worth it to make an offer for Turner? I’m not sure I would even want to give up what it would take, but he is a top tier RB and that would give me a friggin’ monster of a lineup with RBs. What do you think?

Picked up Vjax and dropped D.Brown who I was going to drop anyway. But now I need RB for week 4. Do I wait it out and see who is available or grab Hillis now and drop Gaffney/Williams. Other waiver RB Sproles, the other Jones, Kuhn, Taylor.

I doubt I will start Williams/Gaffney more than once. And I doubt anyone would want them in trade at the moment. I’m thinking later on I can trade a WR/Ben for RB.

I have not dropped Gaffney/Williams for Naanee yet but he should be owned in 12 team.

Hey Doc: mark doesn’t think I should do this, and I wanted to see if You concur: my RBs are Foster, Best, bradshaw and barber, WRS are Austin, Nicks, nanee and VJax. I’ve been offered AP and TO for Foster and Austin. Would you do it?

I’m having trouble trying to figure out what to expect from Mendenhall this week. He was doing a pretty pedestrian job (something like 20 carries/70 yards) before he ripped that game-winner in OT. To channel my inner-Tevye, on one hand, that is pretty disconcerting. On the other hand, he’s undoubtedly going to see a lot of carries because of the rookie Dixon. But on the other hand; what good are 20 carries if you’re not going to get into the endzone? On the other hand, Tennessee allowed 135 yards of rushing in Week 1. On the other hand, you seem to be pretty high on the Titans D.

I have a pretty good idea what to expect from Bradshaw and Charles. Just trying to figure out of Mendy is worth a start over one of them.

I may also be the first person to make a Fiddler of the Roof reference on a fantasy football blog.

Trying to choose between Harvin (sucked last week but I still like him, is apparently the NFL’s only WR1/KR), Nicks (basically a shoo-in unless he’s not playing), Best (aside from TDs, bad week last week, possibly playing a better D with a worse QB now) and Amendola (sweet matchup against non-Asomugha Raiders CB, had like 3 red zone targets last week, returns all punts and some kicks) for a WR spot and a flex spot. I am really tempted to go with Amendola alongside Nicks for the above reasons, any objections?

@Joel: That is a close one. I have to concur with Mark though. Austin and Foster are 2nd rounders right now.

@mapwheel: I’ve going back and forth on this myself. I would be fine with him marrying my daughter, but starting on my team? I say yes! They will run a lot and if the Raiders can put those numbers on them I think Mendenhall can.

@genghis chone: Harvin is hurting as well now. I like Nicks if he is ok. I’d probably go with Best next. Still have faith in him. If Amendola was getting all the kick returns I’d like him a little better.

Doc, I can’t even tell you how great this forum is, with the ability to ask you questions in real time. Its amazing. In the AP and TO for Austin and Foster trade above, if I were able to tack on getting Moreno for Barber, would that tip the scales towards doing it? My RBs would then be AP, Moreno, Best and Bradshaw, my wrs Nicks, Knox, TO, VJax, and Jacoby Jones.

also, i just picked up shiancoe. i’ve got zack miller, as well. i’m not sure whether i should put my faith in the favre/shiancoe connection against miami or hope campbell and miller hook up like some teenagers at a house party against the rams.

A team that has both McCoy and PThomas said theyd trade one for either boldin or marshall. Clearly, I need a RB2 upgrade, would you pull the trigger on one of these backs? If so which one do you prefer and which WR would you prefer to trade?

OR wait to see if mcfadden finally flourishes, bowe and tree to play well to inflate their values again in hopes to trading one of them? Tried trading VDavis and a QB but had no takers